1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data communications apparatus and a data communications method, and more particularly, to an apparatus including a directory server, for detecting the operations of devices, and a method used by the apparatus, which shows a list of normal devices to a user by removing abnormal devices from the list managed by the directory server when devices start to function abnormally.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Internet communications where various devices are connected to a server, the Internet communications are confused by devices which operate abnormally. Namely, if devices that operate abnormally are not deleted from the device management list of a directory server, a wrong list is shown to a user, thus confusing a user who wants to use the devices.
In order to solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for detecting the operations of devices, the apparatus including a directory server, which shows a list of normal devices to a user by removing abnormal devices from the device list managed by the directory server when devices start to function abnormally.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method by which the operations of devices are detected using a directory server, which shows a list of normal devices to a user by removing abnormal devices from the device list managed by the directory server when devices start to function abnormally.
To achieve the first object, there is provided an apparatus that includes a directory server, the apparatus for detecting whether devices listed in the directory server operate normally or abnormally, the apparatus also including a directory daemon continuously executed on a server, the directory daemon for receiving the alive check data of a plurality of devices at predetermined intervals, the directory server receiving and updating the devices"" alive check data time received by the directory daemon, deleting the devices which have not transmitted the alive check data for a predetermined time from a management list by using the sweep command of the directory daemon, and outputting a list of the deleted devices to the devices not deleted, through a web server.
To achieve the second object, there is provided a method for detecting the operations of devices using a directory server in a communication apparatus comprising a plurality of devices, a directory daemon for monitoring the devices, a directory server, and a web server, including (a) the devices transmitting alive check data to the directory daemon at predetermined intervals, (b) the directory daemon transmitting the result obtained by receiving the alive check data to the directory server, (c) the directory daemon transmitting a device management command to the directory server at predetermined intervals, and (d) the directory server deleting the devices which have not transmitted the alive check data for a predetermined time from a management list and transmitting a list of the deleted devices to the devices not deleted, according to the management command.